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File Name

index.cpd

▼

Item Description

Title

Greeks

Format (IMT)

image/jpeg

File Name

yearb_1992_143.jpg

Transcript

Men. A Step Beyond Boyhood
Tattoos & Brands
Tattoos and brands
were a big part of fraternity and
sorority life.
Chris Wright said, "Every member has his own personal number. It is his and no
one else will ever have the same
number."
Braden Brown said, "I
joined Sigma Nu at OU. It was
illegal to be tattooed in Oklahoma, so I went with some of
my brothers to Dallas, Texas. I
had the Greek letters and my
personal number tattooed on
the inside of my right ankle.
My parents didn't mind at all."
Tattoos were a symbol
of membership in fraternities
and sororities on campus, some
used brands to show their
strong feelings of membership.
Donald Schaper said,
"I saw branding done at another university I attended.
The brands were either homemade out of coat hangers or
were specially made to order.
The branding iron was held
down by several members, the
brand was held to the upper
arm for a few seconds to make
sure it burned into the tissue,"
he said. Brewer continued af-
224
ter Schaper to say, "Then the
wound was treated with ointment. Everyday for a week or
two, the scab would be pulled
off to make the brand stand out."
Officially, no one knew of these
practices on the campus.
Dr. Billie Jean Smith, director of Public Health Center
said, "Those students who tattoo themselves run the risk of
contracting hepititis or AIDS.
However, we have not had a
problem on this campus."-
Merrill Baum
-*
POINT TAKEN...Greg Wassberg eagerly displays his letters and pin number as a representation of his commitment to Sigma Nu. Photo by
Noel Stone.
%EEPpO]mPRIDE...Eugene Price Proudly disPlays his °meSa Psi Phi fraternity brand.
Photo by Noel Stone. v
SNAKE BITE...Along with his letters and pin number, Matt Chauvin ornaments his ankle with
the Sigma Nu symbol. Photo by Noel Stone.
Greeks
Tattoos